Auction Catalogue

12 May 2015

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations and Medals

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Lot

№ 391

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12 May 2015

Hammer Price:
£850

A Great War O.B.E. group of seven awarded to Engineer Captain L. Gregory, Royal Navy, who saw extensive action off East Africa in 1915-16 and was present at the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, hallmarks for 1919; 1914-15 Star (Eng. Lt. L. Gregory, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Eng. Lt. Cr. L. Gregory, R.N.); Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, the Second World War awards added for display purposes, contact marks, very fine and better (7)
£350-400

O.B.E. London Gazette 17 July 1919:

‘For valuable services in H.M.S.
Revenge, 1st Battle Squadron.’

Leslie Gregory was appointed Engineer Sub. Lieutenant in July 1906. By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he was serving as an Engineer Lieutenant in the light cruiser H.M.S.
Astraea off East Africa and he remained similarly employed until removing to the Revenge in October 1917.

On 8 August 1914, the
Astraea bombarded Dar-es-Salaam, her guns destroying a radio station and compelling the Germans to scuttle a floating dock in the harbour entrance - the latter duly prevented the commerce raider Konigsberg from returning to port; Astraea went on to play her part in the hunt and blockade of the enemy raider in the Rufiji Delta, in addition to acting as the S.N.O’s ship during the operations off the Cameroons in May 1915.

As stated, Gregory, who was advanced to Engineer Lieutenant-Commander in October 1916, ended his war in the battleship
Revenge, in which capacity he was awarded the O.B.E. In 1919, at Scapa Flow, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter gave the order for the interned German High Seas Fleet to be scuttled, thereby preventing 74 ships being taken over by the Allies. Following the incident, Reuter was brought to Revenge’s quarterdeck and accused by Vice-Admiral Sydney Fremantle of breaching naval honour. He responded that any British naval officer in his position would have taken similar action. No charges were pressed.

Removing to
Fisgard for duty as Senior Engineer in early 1921, Gregory was advanced to Engineer Commander in the following year and, having returned to sea in the flotilla leader Mackay in the interim, was placed on the Retired List at his own request in February 1927.

Having then been advanced to Engineer Captain (Retd.), he was recalled on the renewal of hostilities and took command of the repair ship
Resource at Malta. Removing to the Alexandria base Nile in early 1940, he remained similarly employed until returning to the U.K in late 1941. An appointment at Drake having ensued, he next joined the Prosperine, the minesweeper and anti-submarine base at Scapa Flow. Gregory’s final wartime appointment was as Engineering Officer in the Torpedo Division in Northern Ireland. He died in November 1963; sold with copied research.